Photo paper, also known as developing out paper (developing out paper; photographic paper), also known as printing paper, photographic paper, photographic paper. A general term for various photographic development papers coated with sensitizers. So what are the types of photo paper? How to choose and use photo paper? How is photo paper stored? Which photo paper brand is good? Today, I will explain the knowledge of photo paper in detail for you.
1 Introduction to photo paper
Photo paper, also known as photo paper and high-gloss photo paper, is a material used to develop photos in the traditional printing industry, and later applied to the inkjet industry It’s just called photo paper. Photo paper is the material of choice for inkjet design renderings.
2 Photo Paper Classification
Black and White Photo Paper
The black and white photo paper can be divided into two categories according to the material:
1. Traditional paper fiber photo pulp or paper-based photo paper is referred to as FB photo paper, which is a photosensitive emulsion coated on traditional pulp fiber, which has the highest image quality and long-lasting characteristics.
2. Synthetic polyethylene is coated on the back of the paper to prevent chemicals from penetrating the paper-based resin-coated photo paper, referred to as RC photo paper. It can complete a thorough washing in a very short time, suitable for the processing of “automatic washing machine”. A well-handled photo on FB paper with excellent durability, RC paper doesn’t match traditional FB paper in tonal performance.
Color Photo Paper
Color Photo Paper refers to photo paper used for color printing. Color photo paper is a plastic-coated color photo paper designed for printing digital images and traditional negative films by various digital color expansion machines. The photos printed by RA-4 process or similar process and its compatible set are bright in color and rich in layers. , suitable for both traditional color expansion machine and digital color expansion machine.
Color photo paper is a true silver halide photo paper. Because it is optimized for short exposure times in digital applications, it produces pictures with reduced text (image) flare and better color reproduction than conventional silver halide photographic paper in digital applications. Although it can be used in some optical printing, it is not designed for optical exposure.
3 The difference between glossy and suede photo paper
1. Glossy photo paper
High brightness and good reflectivity, but easy to get fingerprints and sticky (such as plastic paper, etc.). In terms of clarity, the glossy surface must be the best, and it is generally suitable for product photos or artistic photos and landscape photos. The glossy surface looks glossy, with high definition and slightly better picture quality, just easy to stick to handprints. Glossy surfaces need to be glued for preservation. Glossy photos are suitable for expressing scenery, landscapes and other subjects with bright colors and high contrast requirements, and landscapes are suitable for glossy surfaces. There is also a light selection surface with a generally smaller frame and a clearer image. The glossy photo paper has high brightness, good reflectivity, strong vividness, the surface of the photo paper is smooth, and the photos appear brighter; but it is easy to get fingerprints, and it is also easy to stick to debris such as plastic paper, which is generally suitable for product photos or art photos. , the clarity must be the best glossy surface.
2. Matte photo paper
Matte photo paper (also called matte photo paper or matte photo paper) The texture of the photo paper is good, the surface has a matte feeling, there is no reflection, and it is not easy to get fingerprints; but the degree of transparency is low, and it is not as bright as the glossy photo paper. Professional photographers prefer suede. At the same time, due to the graininess on the surface of the suede photo paper, the relatively blurred photos may be better washed with suede, which has a longer shelf life and is generally used for ordinary life photos.
4 The difference between printing photo paper and ordinary printing paper
Plain paper
The plant fibers of ordinary copy paper are of different lengths, arranged in random directions, and are in a relatively There are many small burrs on the thick fibers. When ordinary dye ink droplets are sprayed onto the paper surface by the nozzle, due to capillary action, the ink droplets will penetrate into the inside of the paper along the gaps between the fibers. The water resistance of printing on plain paper has long plagued many inkjet printer users. For cost reasons, many SOHO and individual users use inkjet printers to output color documents, reports and photos on plain copy paper. However, since many inkjet printers use water-based dye inks, the waterproof performance is poor. The most common situation is that printed diagrams and photos will have smudges, and the details of the image will be blurred. To make matters worse, if water drops accidentally on a printout, even on paper that has been dried, severe color blooming can occur.
Printing Photo Paper
Printing Photo Paper is a paper specially made for printing photos, it has certain thickness and hardness requirements, and also can be colorful , Keep the color for a long time. Technically, photo paper is a special coating on plain paper, which makes the paper look brighter and absorbs ink with very small particles quickly, allowing it to cure and keep the color of the photo vivid for a long time. In addition, the paper texture is relatively hard, and high-resolution printing can also effectively prevent ink penetration. According to the different coating layers and paper media, photo paper can be divided into four types: glossy photo paper, photo paper, glossy paper and high-resolution paper (thick photo paper).
5 Purchase of photo paper
1. Pull out the paper from the packaging bag, lay it flat on the table, wait for half an hour, and look at both sides of the paper Whether upturned or downturned. If there is serious lift, it proves that the paper is not qualified. This is mainly because the coating on the front and back of the photographic paper has a great relationship with the quality of the coating and the temperature control of the production workshop. Once the warping is serious, sometimes the printer will not feed paper or jam. .
2. Visually inspect the surface for scratches, punctures, or black spots. If the above conditions appear on the surface, the photographic paper is proved to be unqualified. Because the coating workshops used by high-quality manufacturers are all dust-free workshops, under normal circumstances, there will be no problems such as scratches and black spots on the coating surface. Only small factories will have the above problems.
3. Check the surface smoothness and flatness. Good photo paper has a smooth surface to the touch. And it has a plastic texture, while the poor photo paper is dry. You can use your finger to dip a little water and apply it on the photo paper coating. If it is smooth, the photo paper coating is qualified. If it feels astringent or sticky, it means that the coating quality of the surface layer of the photo paper is not good, and the waterproof performance is not very good.
4. Identify whether it is a colloidal or powder coating. In the coating of photographic paper, it is divided into colloidal and powder coating. The cost of gel coating is high, and the smoothness, tightness, color reproduction, and waterproof performance are far superior to powder coating. Identification method: It can be folded inward at the upper corner of the photo paper, and folded several times along the crease. Then stretch the crease. Good photo paper will not appear to be powdered at the crease. On the other hand, the poor photographic paper has the phenomenon of powder falling, indicating that a low-cost powder coating is used. This type of coating can cause serious damage to the printer.
6 How to use photo paper correctly
1. Operating environment:
Temperature: 18~30 ℃ ( 65~85 °F)
Relative Humidity: 20~65%
Too low temperature and humidity will easily generate static electricity, which will affect the accuracy of paper feeding and printing, and will also damage the ink head and the main board of the printer circuit.
2. Inventory storage and transportation:
Please store in a relatively stable environment (the temperature difference should not be too large), avoid high temperature and direct sunlight, and keep the ground and air dry.
3. Unwinding use:
After opening the package, all operations should be done with soft white cotton gloves to avoid scratches or contamination with sweat and stains on the surface of the product. Unused materials should be put back in the moisture-proof bag, plugged with plugs at both ends, and then put back into the box. Try to avoid too much contact with air to prevent the ink-absorbing coating from absorbing moisture in the air and affecting the ink-absorbing performance. .
4. Printout:
Do not use inferior compatible ink (especially some inks mixed with pure water), it is recommended to use original ink or reliable compatible ink to ensure printing Effect
5. Post-processing:
After printing, do not touch the screen before the ink is completely dry, and should be placed horizontally to make it fully dry. Follow-up processing is performed.
7 What kind of photo paper is good for developing photos
Quality preferenceType: glossy photo paper
Even if you are not a photographer, Professional photographers should still choose glossy photo paper as the first choice for preserving photos. Compared with ordinary photo paper and glossy photo paper, glossy photo paper has multiple protections including basic layer, resin layer, ink-absorbing layer, etc. The ink-absorbing layer is photo-resistant. The heat and light-resistant protective cover, the resin layer prevents ink from penetrating into the inside of the paper, and finally the basic layer is like the foundation of a building to establish a stable support when insulating ink and paper. Therefore, this is the first choice for families to keep photos for a long time. In terms of appearance and touch, it is similar to the photos of the previous film era. Although the cost per sheet is slightly higher, the supply is sufficient. Canon and Epson are both suppliers of glossy photo paper. business. This type of photo paper is used in high-end professional print shops.
Best value for moneyCategory: Ordinary photo paper
The “designated” paper used by the street printing shop, the household counts soft sister coins to make a living dedicated to the user. The names in the market are probably: color inkjet printing paper, ordinary photo paper, etc., and those that are not clearly marked with glossy and glossy are basically classified into categories. Its advantage is that it is cheap, because the paper does not have any connotation, it is a thickened version of ordinary paper, and some of them also have an ink layer to speed up the absorption and drying of ink to maintain the picture quality as much as possible. Some of the packaging will indicate the detailed use resolution. It is absolutely impossible to print with a mismatched resolution. The reason please think about the scene of using a bamboo basket to draw water. The resolution is the tightness of the bamboo basket weaving.
8 Photo paper preservation
The life of any photo paper It all depends on the storage environment and the perfection of washing.
Because of its multi-layer structure, the long-term storage of plastic-coated photo paper is easy to cause the emulsion layer to fall off due to the different levels of water absorption and thermal expansion rate. Individual special image processes, under the premise of proper handling, have more preservation than paper-based paper due to their inherent stability.
According to the results obtained in the accelerated experiment, in the general indoor environment and using Epson’s specific pure cotton acid-free medium, the black and white photos can be stored for up to 200 years, and the color photos can be stored for up to 200 years. 108 years. In the international market, the photos produced by the art micro-jet photo-making process have long been the first choice of museums, galleries and collectors.
1. Do not place in the following places: high temperature, high humidity, direct sunlight
2. Please put back the unused photo paper in the box, and store it flat! (Please use up as soon as possible, so as not to affect the quality of printed photos).
